Edward Dentinger Hoch, né le à Rochester dans l'État de New York et mort dans la même ville le , est un scénariste, romancier et surtout un nouvelliste américain de littérature policière. Il est l'auteur de plus de 950 nouvelles.
Biographie Né dans une famille catholique, Edward D. Hoch (prononcer hoke, comme dans smoke) fait ses études à l'Université de Rochester et est un employé de la bibliothèque de la ville de 1947 à 1949. Il sert dans la US Army entre 1950 et 1952, puis il travaille à New York chez Pocket Books pendant deux ans avant de se lancer dans la publicité.
Il amorce la publication de ses premières nouvelles dans des pulp magazines à la fin des années 1950. Presque toutes sont des récits d'enquêtes policières, tout particulièrement des énigmes de chambre close, dont il est considéré comme l'un des grands spécialistes, notamment grâce à la soixantaine de nouvelles, toutes publiées dans le Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, consacrées aux enquêtes du Hawthorne, Dictionnaire des littératures policières, volume 1, .. Edward Hoch donnent aussi naissance à d'autres héros récurrents, dont le Capitaine Leopold, chef de la brigade des homicides de Rochester, Ben Snow, un homme de l'Ouest qui mène ses investigations dans un décor de western, ou encore le malfaiteur Nick Velvet qui apparaît dans 79 nouvelles policières humoristiques.
Parmi les auteurs dont Edward D. Hoch s'est inspiré, on compte John Dickson Carr, Jorge Luis Borges, Graham Greene et Ellery Queen, le pseudonyme du duo américain qui a produit une importante série de récits criminels entre 1929 et 1971 et sous lequel Hoch a lui-même publié. En outre, dans un Dictionnaire des littératures policières, volume 1, . dans plus de 80 nouvelles d'espionnage.
Une douzaine de ses textes ont été adaptés à la télévision, servant notamment de base à trois épisodes de la série McMillan, avec Rock Hudson et Susan Saint James (Saison 2, épisode 3 ; saison 3, épisodes 3 et 4).
En 2001, le Mystery Writers of America lui décerne l'Edgar du Grand Maître (Grand Master Award) pour l'ensemble de son œuvre, une première dans le cas d'un auteur plus nouvelliste que romancier.
Il meurt d'une crise cardiaque le https://archive.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2008/02/12/edward_d_hoch_77_a_master_of_puzzle_mystery_prolific_writer/ dans sa résidence de Rochester, à 77 ans.
Œuvre Romans Romans policiers The Shattered Raven (1969) The Blue Movie Murders (1972) - signé Ellery Queen
Romans de science-fiction policiers The Transvection Machine (1971) The Fellowship of the HAND (1972) The Frankenstein Factory (1975)
Recueils de nouvelles City of Brass (1971) The Judges of Hades (1971) The Spy and the Thief (1971) Dear Dead Days (1972) The Thefts of Nick Velvet (1978) All But Impossible! (1981) The Quests of Simon Ark (1984) Leopold's Way (1985) Murder Most Sacred: Great Catholic Tales of Mystery and Suspense (1989) The Spy Who Read Latin (1990) The Night My Friend (1992) Diagnosis: Impossible (1996) The Ripper of Storyville (1997) - en collaboration avec Marvin Lachman Twelve American Detective Stories (1997) The Velvet Touch (2000) The Old Spies Club (2001) The Night People (2001) The Iron Angel (2003 More Things Impossible (2006) The Sherlock Holmes Stories of Edward D. Hoch (2008)
Anthologies annuelles de nouvelles Best Detective Stories of the Year (1976 - 1981) The Year's Best Mystery and Suspense Stories (1982 - 1995)
Nouvelles Série Simon Ark Village of the Dead (1955) The Hoofs of Satan (1956) The Witch Is Dead (1956) The Man from Nowhere (1956) The Vicar of Hell (1956) The Wolves of Werclaw (1956) Blood in the Stands (1957) The Judges of Hades (1957) Serpent in Paradise (1957) Twelve for Eternity (1957) The Hour of None (1957) Desert of Sin (1958) The Dragon Murders (1958) Street of Screams (1959) The Case of the Sexy Smugglers (1959) The Case of the Naked Niece (1959) City of Brass (1959) Sword for a Sinner (1959) The Case of the Vanished Virgin (1959) The Case of the Ragged Rapist (1960) Flame at Twilight (1960) The Case of the Mystic Mistress (1960) The Clouded Venus (1960) Lovely Lady of Lust! (1962) Day of the Wizard (1963) The Lost Pilgrim (1972) The Treasure of Jack the Ripper (1978) The Mummy from the Sea (1979) The Man Who Shot the Werewolf (1979) The Avenger from Outer Space (1979) The Weapon Out of the Past (1980) The Sorceress of the Sea (1980) The Vultures of Malabar (1980) The Dying Marabout (1981) The Unicorn’s Daughter (1982) The House of a Hundred Birds (1982) The Witch of Park Avenue (1982) The Town Where No One Stayed Over (1997) Master of Miracles (1999) The Scaring Bell (2001) The Faraway Quilters (2003) Tram to Tomorrow (2004) The Gravesend Trumpet (2005) The Christmas Egg (2006) The Automaton Museum (2008)
Série Ben Snow The Valley of Arrows (1961) Frontier Street (1961) Ghost Town (1961) The Flying Man (1961) The Man in the Alley (1962) The Ripper of Storyville (1962) Snow in Yucatan (1965) The Vanished Steamboat (1984) Brothers on the Beach (1984) The 500 Hours of Dr. Wisdom (1984) The Trail of the Bells (1985) The Phantom Stallion (1985) The Sacramento Waxworks (1986) The Only Tree in Tasco (1986) Poker Game at the Golden Nugget (1987) The Hearse with a Heart of Gold (1987) The Nude Over the Bar (1988) The Victorian Hangman (1988) Sacajawea’s Gold (1989) The Circus Murders (1989) The Trial of Ben Snow (1990) The Pirate of Death Valley (1990) The Edge of the Year 1900 (1991) The Headless Horseman of Buffalo Creek (1991) Five Days in a Texas Town (1992) The Trail of the Golden Cross (1992) The Geronimo Option (1993) The Passion of Lizzie B. (1993) An Early Morning Madness (1994) Horse Thief Haven (1994) The Granite God (1995) Banner in Blood (1996) Dagger Money (1997) Suddenly, with Fangs (1997) The Bullet from Beyond (1998) The Daughters of Crooked River (1999) The San Agustin Miracle (2001) Gunfighter’s Honeymoon (2002) The Mountain of Jade (2003) Once Aboard the Eagle (2005) The Pueblo Tomb (2006) The Sugar Train (2006) Madam Sing’s Gold (2008)
Série Capitaine Leopold Death in the Harbor (1962) The Clever Mr. Carton (1965) The House by the Ferris (1966) The Oblong Room (1967), aussi parue sous le titre Death in the Oblong Room The Vanishing of Velma (1969) The Murder Parade (1969) The Rainy-Day Bandit (1970) The Athanasia League (1970) Christmas Is for Cops (1970) End of the Day (1971) The Jersey Devil (1971) The Leopold Locked Room (1971) Captain Leopold Does his Job (1971) A Melee of Diamonds (1972) Leopold at Rest (1972) Bullets for Two (1972) Leopold on Edge (1973) Captain Leopold Gets Angry (1973) Captain Leopold Saves a Life (1973) Captain Leopold Plays a Hunch (1973) Captain Leopold Swings a Bat (1973) Captain Leopold and the Ghost-Killer (1974) Captain Leopold Finds a Tiger (1974) Captain Leopold Drops a Bomb (1975) Captain Leopold Goes Home (1975) Captain Leopold and the Arrow Murders (1975) No Crime for Captain Leopold (1975) Captain Leopold Tries Again (1976) The Murder of Captain Leopold (1976) Captain Leopold and the Impossible Murder (1976) No Holiday for Captain Leopold (1977) Captain Leopold Looks for the Cause (1977) Captain Leopold Incognito (1978) The Nameless Crime (1978) Captain Leopold and the Three Hostages (1978) Captain Leopold on the Spot (1979) Captain Leopold and the Murderer’s Son (1979) Captain Leopold and the Vanishing Men (1979) The Most Dangerous Man Alive (1980) Captain Leopold Goes to the Dogs (1980) Captain Leopold’s Gamble (1980) Captain Leopold and the Silver Foxes (1981) Captain Leopold Goes Fishing (1981) The Second Captain Leopold (1983) Captain Leopold Beats the Machine (1983) Suddenly in September (1983) Finding Joe Finch (1984) Captain Leopold and the Mystery Woman (1984) Leopold in New York (1985) Captain Leopold’s Secret (1985) Captain Leopold Views a Crime Scene (1986) Leopold and the Thunderer (1986) Leopold and the Four O’Clock Felon (1987) Leopold and the Broken Bride (1987) The Murder in Room 1010 (1987) Leopold and the Cemetery Bandits (1988) The Crime Made in Heaven (1988) The Killer Everyone Knew (1989) The Urgent Message (1989) Captain Leopold’s Birthday (1990) Too Many Murderers (1990) The Theft of Leopold’s Badge (1991), Nick Velvet fait une apparition dans cette nouvelle The Retired Magician (1991) Puzzle in a Smoke-Filled Room (1991) Leopold’s Class (1992) The Summer of Our Discontent (1992) Leopold at Rest (1993), nouvelle différente de celle du même titre parue en 1972 Leopold’s Guns (1993) The Essex Park Cowboys (1994) Loaves and Fishes (1995) Leopold Lends a Hand (1995) A New Life (1996) Leopold’s Aim (1997) The Mystery That Wouldn’t Stay Solved (1997) The Man Who Drowned in Champagne (1998) The Christmas Tree Killer (1999) The Phantom Lover (1999) The Emerald Expert (2000) Leopold at Bouchercon (2001) Leopold Kidnapped (2003) Leopold in the Vineyard (2004) Leopold in the Lab (2006) Leopold Undercover (2007)
Série Docteur Sam Hawthorne The Problem of the Covered Bridge (1974) The Problem of the Old Gristmill (1975) The Problem of the Lobster Shack (1975) The Problem of the Haunted Bandstand (1976) The Problem of the Locked Caboose (1976) The Problem of the Little Red Schoolhouse (1976) The Problem of the Christmas Steeple (1977) The Problem of Cell 16 (1977) The Problem of the Country Inn (1977) The Problem of the Voting Booth (1977) The Problem of the County Fair (1978) The Problem of the Old Oak Tree (1978) The Problem of the Revival Tent (1978) The Problem of the Whispering House (1979) The Problem of the Boston Common (1979) The Problem of the General Store (1979) The Problem of the Courthouse Gargoyle (1980) The Problem of the Pilgrims Windmill (1980) The Problem of the Gingerbread Houseboat (1981) The Problem of the Pink Post Office (1981) The Problem of the Octagon Room (1981) The Problem of the Gypsy Camp (1982) The Problem of the Bootlegger’s Car (1982) The Problem of the Tin Goose (1982) The Problem of the Hunting Lodge (1983) The Problem of the Body in the Haystack (1983) The Problem of Santa’s Lighthouse (1983) The Problem of the Graveyard Picnic (1984) The Problem of the Crying Room (1984) The Problem of the Fatal Fireworks (1985) The Problem of the Unfinished Painting (1986) The Problem of the Sealed Bottle (1986) The Problem of the Invisible Acrobat (1986) The Problem of the Curing Barn (1987) The Problem of the Snowbound Cabin (1987) The Problem of the Thunder Room (1988) The Problem of the Black Roadster (1988) The Problem of the Two Birthmarks (1989) The Problem of the Dying Patient (1989) The Problem of the Protected Farmhouse (1990) The Problem of the Haunted Tepee (1990), Ben Snow fait une apparition dans cette nouvelle The Problem of the Blue Bicycle (1991) The Problem of the Country Church (1991) The Problem of the Grange Hall (1991) The Problem of the Vanishing Salesman (1992) The Problem of the Leather Man (1992) The Problem of the Phantom Parlor (1993) The Problem of the Poisoned Pool (1993) The Problem of the Missing Roadhouse (1994) The Problem of the Country Mailbox (1994) The Problem of the Crowded Cemetery (1995) The Problem of the Enormous Owl (1996) The Problem of the Miraculous Jar (1996) The Problem of the Enchanted Terrace (1997) The Problem of the Unfound Door (1998) The Second Problem of the Covered Bridge (1998) The Problem of the Scarecrow Congress (1999) The Problem of Annabel’s Ark (2000) The Problem of the Potting Shed (2000) The Problem of the Yellow Wallpaper (2001) The Problem of the Haunted Hospital (2001) The Problem of the Traveler’s Tale (2002) The Problem of Bailey’s Buzzard (2002) The Problem of the Interrupted Séance (2003)